Classical MusicWeb

We begin with a mention for a brass band composer. George Allen produced
a number of marches, notably Senator, in the early years of the 20th Century,
which achieved some popularity, but as a march composer in that era, he was
overshadowed by William Rimmer, whom we have dealt with previously.

Our TV/film composer this time is Sheridan Tongue, whose most recent effort
is a self-effacing, but attractive score written for the BBC TV serial, Down
to Earth. But we should also mention Barry Stoller, a "one work man": the
work being Offside, well known as the signature tune of "Match of the Day".

Peter Birkby may well fall within our 'Ccomposers for young amateurs" category,
as I have mostly heard his music played by such. His output includes many
traditional arrangements, plus the catchy Colloquial Calypso, Sixteen Plus
and, for percussion, the Autumn Waltz. In this same category, we can also
perhaps place Geoffrey Coleby, composer of a number of songs for young -
specifically teenage - voices and up-tempo instrumental miniatures, like
the Tag and Bobtail Rag, and the Suffolkdomiciled Bernard Barrell, best known
for his church and organ music, but who has also composed for young amateurs,
and a Suffolk Celebration Overture.

Pianist Harriet Cohen (1895-1967) has an honoured place in the history and
development of British music, especially for her work in perforrning or recording
Bax, Elgar and Vaughan Williams. Trained at the Royal Academy of Music and
the Matthay School, she made a few piano transcriptions of Bach, but lighter
in character were her Russian Impressions of 1915, also for piano, four of
them, entitled Sunset on the Volga, The Exile, The Old Church at Wilna and
The Tartars.

Finally, back to the brass. Thomas Keighley, bom in 1869, studied at the
former Royal Manchester College of Music, where he later became Professor
of Harmony. He was an organist, and composed for piano and choirs ( his choral
arrangements of folk and traditional melodies achieved popularity), but he
was particularly involved with brass bands, as teacher, adjudicator and composer,
especially of test pieces for the Open Championship at Belle Vue, Manchester:
Macbeth (1925, the first "original" test piece for the Open), A Midsummer
Night's Dream (1926), The Merry Wives of Windsor (1927), Lorenzo (1928),
The Crusaders (1932) and A Northern Rhapsody (1935).

Philip L Scowcroft

Enquiries to Philip at

8 Rowan Mount

DONCASTER

S YORKS DN2 5PJ

Philip's book 'British Light Music Composers' (ISBN 0903413 88 4) is currently out of print.

E-mail enquiries (but NOT orders) can be directed to Rob Barnett at
rob.barnett1@btinternet.com